Saturday, August 27, 2016

Washington and Hartford FAILING on college affordability - Wait What?

In Connecticut, and across the country, public universities and colleges have traditionally served as the primary vehicle for ensuring the state’s children get a quality college degree. However, a new study conducted by ProPublica reveals that the dream of a college education has become prohibitively expense for more and more students and their families.

As a result of inadequate public funding, failed student financial aid programs and increasing costs, soaring tuition is making college unaffordable for many.

ProPublica reports that from 2000 to 2014, the average cost of in-state tuition and fees at the University of Connecticut rose by more than 66 percent.

However, during that same time period, the median income for Connecticut residents increased only 2 percent. Take out the Wall Street executives who live in lower Fairfield Country and Connecticut’s household income has remained flat for 15 years while tuition and fees at public colleges and universities have skyrocketed.

The rate of increase at the universities of the Connecticut State University System is even higher, with tuition and fees up nearly 75 percent, all while Connecticut’s families struggle to simply make ends meet.

Add in the cost of room, board and textbooks and the cost of attending one of Connecticut’s public institutions of education is getting more out of reach for thousands of Connecticut students.

The long-term impact of unaffordable higher education will be catastrophic

But unfortunately, the response to this crisis by Federal and state officials has been revolting.